My Two Pitties: Puppies

Showing posts with label Puppies. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

NORMAN'S 3RD BIRTHDAY!!

Wow, it's been a kick ass year in the life of Norman!

Here are some things he enjoyed most...

Going on a trip to L.A.

And reuniting with his "cousin" Motlie!

Becoming certified as a Therapy Dog and attending his first 5 visits!

Visiting many of California's beautiful beaches in San Francisco, Marin,

Ventura, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica and Venice Beach!

Going on lots of awesome hikes, especially at our new favorite trail
that is just a couple minutes from the house!

Loving our new house and most of all, the addition of a huge deck...perfect for sunbathing!

Since moving out of our studio apartment and into the new house, we've been able to have many overnight guests and visitors. Kaya & Norman love this!

Going to a K9 pool party & swimming in a pool for the first time!

Meeting the adorable Violet, a new puppy in our neighborhood, and getting together for regular play dates! Norman is a huge fan of puppies...

Going on many trips to Lake Tahoe where we get to spend time with my parents & Zoey!

And of course, let's not forget, many many cuddles...

Happy Birthday to my favorite guy in the whole world!!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

When I first met Kaya, I just knew she was adorable, outgoing and sweet. I had no idea what a smartypants she was or what an incredible athlete she would become. I had no idea how much she would teach me and how much she would make me laugh. I had no idea how warm she would keep me at night and I had no idea of how many adventures we would go on together.

Kaya and I got off to a rough start...sort of. It just took me a long time to figure out how to get us on the same page so that I was not frustrated and she was not bored. For nearly a year there was a lot of leash pulling, whining, yowling, yelping, jumping and dog park humiliation. I wanted to take her to cafes for leisurely lunches and let her run free on hiking trails but know she'd stay close. I wanted her to show visitors her calm, cuddly side, not a Tasmanian devil impression. I wanted to let her run at the beach and not fear she would ruin everyone's picnic. I wanted her to be patient and loving to every dog she met, not to bug the living snot out of all of them.

But with all the treats and praise, all the discipline, structure, clicking and training tools I tried, none of it was coming true. There was only one other logical thing to try. So I got her a brother!

And everything started falling into place. Looking back, it felt like an overnight change. Without her puppy charm to get by on, many dogs and people were finding themselves overwhelmed or annoyed by all that was Kaya. With Norman she finally had herself a constant partner in life. The type of partner who laughs at all her jokes, who revels in any attention he gets from her, who always pretends to want what she has but doesn't really care, who follows her dutifully from place to place and curls up next to her when it's time to sleep.

Here's a video I took of them at the beach just a couple days after bringing Norman home. A week earlier, I was at the same beach with Kaya and spent the entire time chasing after her, tell her what not to do and where not to go. They still play the same way!

I know now that we still had a long way to go after Norman arrived but he certainly sent us in the right direction. Kaya and I have now found our sweet spot. And she can do all of those things I longed for her to do way back when. But it's not that she became this perfect dog that I imagined she would be. It's that I know her well enough to make it work and she knows exactly what I expect from her.

I won't take her to a cafe if I think she's going to be too bored or hyper. She knows to find a bone to chew on if she's too excited about company. And if they want her on the couch with them, I give her a calm down command so that she knows it's time to put her tongue away and relax.

Using fetch as a reward, I set up obedience drills that she couldn't wait to do over and over. She still makes a beeline for things that may get her in trouble but she turns on a dime when I call her name. She often puts herself in a heel without me asking so that she can get that sweet rush when she hears the word, "free!"

How lucky I am to have this special girl in my life. Still a free-spirit but now one that always wants to be by my side, whether she's running laps around me on a 2 hour hike, keeping me safe when I take the trash cans to the curb or burrowing her way under the covers at night, she's always there.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

THROWBACK THURSDAY: BATDOG

Thursday, July 17, 2014

THROWBACK THURSDAY: KAYA'S NOSE RING

Kaya has an adorable black Snoopy nose. But when she was a puppy, she had a curl of white along one side. I always thought it looked like a doggy nose ring.

Sadly, she grew out of it after just a couple months.

Did your dog's markings change over time?

Monday, June 23, 2014

NORMAN'S THERAPY MISSION

I am the queen of procrastination and for that reason, it has taken me way too long to get Norman certified as a Therapy Dog which is something I've always wanted to do with a dog. I've known he would be good at it since day one. He didn't need any time to mature or learn the basics. He may not be book smart but he has a truly special way with people and has great intuition when it comes to people's needs. I wrote this post over 2 years ago, just a couple months after I got Norman and he's still every bit as lovable and easy going. So I am incredibly excited that Norman is getting tested this week!

A few months ago, just a couple days after I brought Norman home, I was walking him and Kaya to the park when we came across a woman and her baby. The baby looked as if he had just begun learning to walk. She asked if the baby could pet the dogs. I knew Kaya was too excitable and was likely to knock the little one over so I said the baby could pet Norman. I held Kaya on my other side and allowed Norman to go closer to the baby. He walked a few steps towards the baby and then, without being asked or even any tension on the leash, Norman sat down as the baby made his wobbly steps towards him. As the baby reached out to pet his nose, he lost his balance and more or less smacked Norman on top of the nose. Norman sat there…like a statue. Not a single muscle moved, apart from his tongue, which he reached out of his mouth and licked the baby's little hand. I almost died...I'm not a huge fan of babies, but I thought it was one of the sweetest things I had ever seen. This is when it first dawned on me that Norman would make a great Therapy Dog!

I used to have to walk him with a harness because he was so slow, I did not want to pull on his neck to keep him moving.

Then when I only had him for 2 weeks, I took Norman to the Bay Area Pet Expo. You couldn't ask for more distractions for a young pup. There were thousands of people there, half of them with dogs of all shapes and sizes. There were kids, strollers and wheelchairs. People and dogs were dressed up in crazy costumes. There were loudspeakers and music and activities. There was cheering, clapping and yelling with wall to wall people inside. And Norman loved every minute of it. People would run across the room to kneel down and cuddle him. There were little kids to kiss and other dogs to sniff. But there was nothing frantic or excitable about Norman's demeanor, he just moseyed along, happily wagging his tail.

After a while inside we went to see what was happening outside. We followed the sounds of many ferociously barking dogs to find a Schutzhund(protection dog) demonstration. We walked right up to the front and watched as the dogs threatened, ran and attacked the "predator." The area was surrounded by spectator and participating dogs, lunging at the ends of their leashes with excitement and angst. We were surrounded by dogs of all shapes and sizes barking as loud as their vocal cords would allow. And then I looked down to find my puppy passed out on his side, basking in the sunlight with his head resting awkwardly on a stranger's foot…he had not a care in the world.

One of my favorite things about Norman is that he is not a jumpy dog. His biggest show of excitement is swaying his whole hind end from side to side in a true pit bull wiggle dance. He has yet to even look like he might try to jump on me or anyone else. Even when I try to get him to reach for a toy, his jumping efforts turn into awkward flailing limbs and him falling to the floor in a heap where he remains for a while.

Anyways, back at the Pet Expo…the first person we came across had a booth and offered Norman a treat. She assured him it was okay to jump up on the table because she couldn't reach him. She showed him the treat and encouraged him to try for it but he sat there with 4 paws firmly planted on the floor. I said, "Sorry, but he won't even try." Later on we met a group of people selling a product to train dogs not to jump up on people. It was basically a short leash with a flat bit of plastic attached to the end which you are meant to stand on to keep your dog grounded. I was humoring the saleswoman's explanation but was trying to explain that my puppy doesn't jump. She declared that he would need it when he got older. Her co-worker greeted Norman and said, "I don't think this dog's ever going to need it." She seemed surprised and deflated at his honest comment and then asked me to think of it when I get my next dog…I did not even mention Kaya.

The professional photographer for the event took his photo.

She made a bunch of barking and meowing noises to get his attention, it was only slightly interested.

When we're at the park Kaya and Norman have very different agendas. Kaya is usually running around as fast as she can, running up to every person and dog and leaving just as fast or she is trying to figure out how to get all of the tennis balls in her possession at once. Norman, on the other hand, can almost without a doubt be found sitting at someone's feet, staring lovingly into their eyes, enjoying pets and giving his world class slow-motion kisses. Which leads to him rolling(falling) onto his back for belly rubs and going full stretch in the middle of a busy park. I sometimes have to go over and pick him up and place him back on his feet to re-motivate him.

Norman's favorite cuddle move is to come over to you and collapse his front end so that he basically falls onto you and then his hind end goes too:) He has helped some people on a small scale. Like once he was allowed into a fancy clothing store with my mom and I. He did his belly rub move for the saleswomen and one of them said it was her birthday and he made her day! Several other times he has been greeted by people out on walks and they have said that they really needed a good cuddle like that.

And I do believe that I am not just thinking of him being suited for therapy work because I love him and he's my puppy, I would never dream of it for Kaya. Even though she is so sweet and loving, she would never have the patience or attention span for it. I have had several people suggest to me that I should get Norman certified, but others have assumed reasons for his calm demeanor, saying he must be tired or he is just a puppy and will grow up to be different. Nope...that's just him.

Yes, Norman has bagged a few training commands since I wrote this post but the rest remains the same. He's also accumulated many more heartwarming stories. He still has yet to even try and jump on someone. He was even an accidental CGC demo dog at the following year's Pet Expo. He's been to parades, festivals, fireworks and Hollywood Boulevard and still, nothing bothers him. Oh...and he still makes a beeline past all the dogs at the park to greet their owners first:)

Related Posts:
Norman is Now a Certified Therapy Dog!

Norman: The Perfect Advocate
Norman: The Heart Stealer
Norman's Adoption Story
Batman Rescues Norman!